NASCIO 2026 Midyear: State CISOs Report Falling Confidence as AI Threats Accelerate

by  Mickey McCarter

Rising artificial intelligence-enhanced attacks and tight budgets push states toward broader, data-driven cybersecurity strategies.

Summary

State cybersecurity leaders are facing a deteriorating threat landscape and declining confidence in systems, prompting a shift toward “whole-of-state” cybersecurity models. Roughly one-fifth of states are extending support to local governments, schools, and critical infrastructure through coordination, shared services, and incident response teams.

Implementation varies by state: some offer assistance on request while respecting local autonomy, though challenges like insurance barriers and resource limits persist. As budgets tighten, CISOs are prioritizing metrics to demonstrate value, translating technical risks into business outcomes and justifying investments through clear dashboards.

Workforce gaps, protecting critical infrastructure beyond direct authority, and emerging responsibilities like AI governance add complexity. State leaders emphasize collaboration and view cybersecurity as an enterprise risk management issue rather than solely an IT concern.

 Read full story at StateTech

The Government Is Buying AI Faster Than It Is Assigning Authority

by  Arthur D. Sidney

Federal AI governance will become credible when agencies can answer a simple question before deployment, not after failure.

Summary

Federal AI governance needs to prioritize assigning authority to pause, question, or suspend AI systems when conditions change.

Agencies require explicit override rights, auditable decision trails, and procurement terms that ensure control over AI tools.

Without these measures, the government risks exposure rather than achieving true modernization.

 Read full story at NextGpv

What Is CTEM, and How Is It Speeding Up Agencies' Threat Response?

by  Eric Marchewitz

Continuous threat exposure management adds environmental context to agencies' decisions about which threats to prioritize.

Summary

Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a proactive framework that differs from traditional reactive cybersecurity. It leverages existing controls to continuously discover, prioritize, and remediate security exposures across an organization’s entire attack surface.

Unlike conventional vulnerability management’s “point in time” lists of common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), CTEM emphasizes business impact and effective mitigation within the specific environment. The framework identifies threats, assesses potential damage across systems, and determines optimal remedies—even flagging older threats if agency-specific risks are present.

CTEM interfaces with security controls for automated actions, such as blocking IPs or isolating endpoints. Implementation starts with inventorying controls and current processes, then selecting the right framework for cloud, on-premises, or hybrid environments. It demands ongoing refinement to manage false positives and can be automated in phases.

 Read full story at FedTech

Anthropic Is Doubling Claude Code Rate Limits After Deal With SpaceX

by  Karissa Bell

The company is also interested in SpaceX's planned orbital data centers.

Summary

Anthropic has struck a deal with SpaceX to access significant compute capacity at Colossus 1, adding more than 300 megawatts within the month. The arrangement enables Anthropic to double rate limits for paid users of Claude Code and remove “peak hours” restrictions for Pro and Max plans, while considerably increasing API limits for Claude Opus models.

As part of the partnership, Anthropic has expressed interest in collaborating with SpaceX on multiple gigawatts of orbital AI compute capacity. This builds on SpaceX’s plans to launch a million satellites for an orbital data center. The expanded capacity comes alongside Anthropic’s recent deals with Amazon and Google, delivering immediate performance improvements for Claude users.

 Read full story at engadget

Apple's R&D Investments Top 10% of Sales as AI Race Creates 'Sense of Urgency'

by  MacKenzie Sigalos & Jennifer Elias

The increase puts Apple closer to the rest of megacap tech on R&D, though the iPhone maker is still taking a very different approach when it comes to capital expenditures.

Summary

Apple's R&D spending reached 10.3% of revenue in the March quarter, a significant increase driven by its focus on artificial intelligence.

This surge in spending, particularly in AI, positions Apple closer to its tech peers and indicates a growing urgency to develop new AI products.

While Apple is collaborating with Google on AI features, it is also investing heavily in its own AI models, silicon, and infrastructure.

 Read full story at CNBC

Relying on LLMs Is Nearly Impossible When AI Vendors Keep Changing Things

by  Evan Schuman

A candid Anthropic report documents how many changes the company has made without telling customers. It's a cautionary tale for AI users.

Summary

Evan Schuman describes the challenges faced by enterprise IT executives when dealing with generative AI tools and agents.

The article highlights that AI vendors have the power to make changes to the systems without customer consent, potentially leading to unintended consequences such as reduced accuracy or increased token usage. The article emphasizes the importance of trust, honesty, and integrity in AI vendor practices.

 Read full story at ComputerWorld

Data Center Jobs Aren't at Servers &Mdash; They're in Energy

by  Nick Zenkin

Why data centers create fewer jobs per dollar than the generation infrastructure built to power them.

Summary

Data centers create fewer jobs per dollar than the energy infrastructure built to power them.

While data centers themselves require minimal staffing, the energy generation projects they necessitate, particularly renewable energy projects like offshore wind and onshore wind with storage, generate significantly more jobs.

Communities should consider this when offering tax incentives to data centers, ensuring that the associated energy buildout is renewable to maximize long-term job creation.

 Read full story at Latitude Media

Kentucky Utility Eyes Small Nuclear Reactors to Power Data Centers

by  Austin R. Ramsey

Kentucky's two largest power utilities are collaborating with a prefabricated nuclear reactor manufacturer in Maryland to explore producing nuclear energy in the state for the first time.

Summary

Kentucky's largest power utilities, Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, are collaborating with X-energy to explore deploying small modular reactors to support data centers and enhance grid stability.

This initiative aligns with recent legislation aimed at streamlining nuclear projects and diversifying the state's power grid. The Xe-100 reactors, with passive safety systems, could provide a reliable, continuous power source for high-load customers.

 Read full story at Government Technology

Powering the Next Wave of Utility Innovation With Improved Communication Networks

by  Jeremiah Karpowicz

On May 5th, at the 2026 IEEE PES T&D Conference & Exposition, experts outlined how utilities can incorporate improved communication networks into their planning to improve grid reliability.

Summary

The discussion emphasized the evolution from traditional Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to “AMI 2.0,” where meters function as intelligent edge sensors rather than simple billing devices. This shift transforms communication networks into platforms that deliver distributed computing, real-time insights, and enhanced operational capabilities.

By processing data at the source and focusing on actionable intelligence, utilities can avoid data overload while enabling self-healing grids that automatically isolate faults and restore service. High-performance networks such as private LTE are essential to provide the low latency, security, and reliability required for modern grid management.

Leaders stressed that telecom infrastructure must become a shared, cross-departmental asset to support renewables integration, resilience, and affordability—requiring collaboration beyond siloed teams to build a more connected and responsive energy future.

 Read full story at Factor This